Elvis’ Birthday, Ringling Bros. Circus, Comic Con: FL Weekend Events

TAMPA BAY, FL — Looking for something fun to do this weekend in the Tampa Bay area? There’s something for every interest — Elvis Birthday Bash, comic convention, First Friday parties, Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival.

Check out these weekend events:

Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus

Catch one of the return performances of Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus Friday through Sunday at Tampa’s Amalie Arena.

Mandala Project Opening

Celebrate the mesmerizing world of mandalas with 50+ Florida artists, as Florida CraftArt in St. Pete welcomes the return of the monks from Drepung Gomang Monastery. While eight monks will create a sand mandala at the gallery Jan. 8-14, Friday, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., is the opening night party with music and light refreshments.

First Friday St. Pete

The monthly free block party First Friday St. Pete, which took a two-month hiatus at the end of last year, returns Friday, 6 to 10 p.m., along Central Avenue between 2nd and 3rd streets.

Fresh Fridays: New Year on the Block

Ring in the New Year with Fresh Fridays in downtown Sarasota from 7 to 10 p.m. on State Street. The Rockefellers band will perform.

Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival

This annual festival kicks off Saturday, 8 a.m., with the Run For Us 5K at Tampa’s Gadsden Park. The festival hosts its Heritage Gala, which has a “Western glam” theme, Sunday, 6 to 10 p.m., at the TPepin Hospitality Centre.

Dimmitt 100th Anniversary Open Car Show

Calling all car enthusiasts! Dimmitt Cadillac Clearwater hosts its 100th anniversary celebration Open Car, Truck, Street Rod & Cadillac Show Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sarasota Winter Fine Art Festival

The 10th annual Sarasota Winter Fine Art Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at JD Hamel Park.

Collard Greens Festival & Winter Garden Expo

The ninth annual Collard Greens Festival & Winter Garden Expohosted by New Port Richey FarmNet takes place Saturday, starting at 11 a.m., at the Grand Gardens Community Garden.

St. Pete Comic Con

This annual comic convention, featuring comics, anime, science fiction, cosplay and more, takes place Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at The Coliseum.

Jazz into the New Year

Bok Towers in Lake Wales hosts this live jazz concerton the cafe terrace Saturday, 5 to 7 p.m.

Elvis Birthday Bash

The Elvis Birthday Bash returns to Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall with world-class Elvis impersonators Mike Albert and Scot Bruce along with the Big E Band to celebrate Elvis’ 89th Birthday on Sunday, 1 p.m.

Post Your Event On Patch!

Want to post your next neighborhood event on the Patch? No matter how big or small it may be, if it's local, it has a place on the Patch calendar. Posting an event is as simple as 1, 2, 3. Here's how to do it:

1. Create a Patch account and sign up to post your own local content on Patch, totally free. It's probably the easiest thing you'll do all day.
2. Make a Calendar Event and fill it with all the awesome info that people need to add it to their list of things to do in their neighborhood. Choose a fun image to upload and most importantly - have fun with it! It's your event, and the possibilities are endless.
3. Post it on Patch! That's it. Get ready for RSVPs.

You can post your event for free to a single Patch, or if you really want to get the community's attention, you can feature your event for $2 per Patch per day. When an event is featured, it receives priority placement on the local calendar as well as on the homepage, article pages, our daily newsletter, and our weekly calendar events newsletter.